diff --git a/dkimpy_milter/__init__.py b/dkimpy_milter/__init__.py
index facae23..9391bb8 100644
--- a/dkimpy_milter/__init__.py
+++ b/dkimpy_milter/__init__.py
@@ -101,15 +101,26 @@ class dkimMilter(Milter.Base):
         if self.conf.get('Syslog') and self.conf.get('debugLevel') >= 1:
             syslog.syslog("connect from {0} at {1} {2}"
                           .format(hostname, hostaddr, connecttype))
-        return Milter.CONTINUE
+        if self.conf.get('Syslog') and self.conf.get('debugLevel') >= 3:
+            syslog.syslog("internal_conn: {0}, external_conn: {1}"
+                          .format(self.internal_connection, self.external_connection))
+
+            return Milter.CONTINUE
 
     # multiple messages can be received on a single connection
     # envfrom (MAIL FROM in the SMTP protocol) seems to mark the start
     # of each message.
     @Milter.noreply
     def envfrom(self, f, *moredata):
-        f = str(codecs.encode(f, 'UTF-8', 'replace'), 'UTF-8', 'ignore')
-        moredata = str(codecs.encode(str(moredata), 'UTF-8', 'replace'), 'UTF-8', 'ignore')
+        try:
+            f = str(codecs.encode(f, 'UTF-8', 'replace'), 'UTF-8', 'ignore')
+        except TypeError:
+            f = codecs.encode(f, 'UTF-8', 'replace').decode()
+        try:
+            moredata = str(codecs.encode(str(moredata), 'UTF-8', 'replace'), 'UTF-8', 'ignore')
+        except TypeError:
+            moredata = codecs.encode(str(moredata), 'UTF-8', 'replace').decode()
+
         if self.conf.get('Syslog') and self.conf.get('debugLevel') >= 2:
             syslog.syslog("mail from: {0} {1}".format(f, moredata))
         self.fp = io.BytesIO()
@@ -144,7 +155,10 @@ class dkimMilter(Milter.Base):
             except IndexError as er:
                 pass # self.author was not a proper email address
             # This keeps non-ascii characters out of the From domain
-            self.fdomain = str(codecs.encode(self.fdomain, 'ascii', 'replace'), 'ascii', 'ignore')
+            try:
+                self.fdomain = str(codecs.encode(self.fdomain, 'ascii', 'replace'), 'ascii', 'ignore')
+            except TypeError:
+                self.fdomain = codecs.encode(self.fdomain, 'ascii', 'replace').decode('ascii','ignore')
             if (self.conf.get('Syslog') and
                     self.conf.get('debugLevel') >= 1):
                 syslog.syslog("{0}: {1}".format(name, val))
@@ -203,6 +217,8 @@ class dkimMilter(Milter.Base):
             syslog.syslog('self.domain: {0}, self.fdomain: {1}, self.iequals: {2}'.format(self.domain, self.fdomain, self.iequals))
         if ((self.fdomain in self.domain) and not self.conf.get('Mode') == 'v'
                 and not self.external_connection):
+            if (self.conf.get('Syslog') and self.conf.get('debugLevel') >= 3):
+                syslog.syslog("Signing DKIM")
             self.sign_dkim(txt)
         if ((self.has_dkim) and (not self.internal_connection) and
             (self.conf.get('Mode') == 'v' or
diff --git a/dkimpy_milter/config.py b/dkimpy_milter/config.py
index cbbfaea..d52b5a4 100644
--- a/dkimpy_milter/config.py
+++ b/dkimpy_milter/config.py
@@ -89,16 +89,23 @@ class HostsDataset(object):
                 self.item = item[1:]
                 self.negative = True
             try:
-                self.item = ipaddress.ip_address(str(self.item, "utf-8"))
+                try:
+                    self.item = ipaddress.ip_address(str(self.item, "utf-8"))
+                except TypeError:
+                    self.item = ipaddress.ip_address(self.item)
                 if isinstance(self.item, ipaddress.IPv4Address):
                     self.isipv4 = True
                 elif isinstance(self.item, ipaddress.IPv6Address):
                     self.isipv6 = True
             except ValueError as e:
                 try:
-                    self.item = ipaddress.ip_network(str
-                                                     (self.item, "utf-8"),
-                                                     strict=False)
+                    try:
+                        self.item = ipaddress.ip_network(str
+                                                         (self.item, "utf-8"),
+                                                         strict=False)
+                    except TypeError:
+                        self.item = ipaddress.ip_network(self.item,
+                                                         strict=False)
                     if isinstance(self.item, ipaddress.IPv4Network):
                         self.isipv4cidr = True
                     elif isinstance(self.item, ipaddress.IPv6Network):
@@ -114,7 +121,10 @@ class HostsDataset(object):
 
     def match(self, connectip):
         '''Check if the connect IP is part of the dataset'''
-        source = ipaddress.ip_address(str(connectip, "utf-8"))
+        try:
+            source = ipaddress.ip_address(str(connectip, "utf-8"))
+        except TypeError:
+            source = ipaddress.ip_address(connectip)
         for item in self.dataset:
             if item.isdomain or item.ishostname:
                 result = self.matchname(source)   # Match host/domains first
@@ -164,13 +174,19 @@ class HostsDataset(object):
             if isinstance(source, ipaddress.IPv4Address):
                 ips = s.dns(name, 'A')
                 for ip in ips:
-                    ip = ipaddress.IPv4Address(str(ip, 'UTF-8'))
+                    try:
+                        ip = ipaddress.IPv4Address(str(ip, 'UTF-8'))
+                    except TypeError:
+                        ip = ipaddress.IPv4Address(ip)
                     if ip == source:
                         results.append(name)
             if isinstance(source, ipaddress.IPv6Address):
                 ips = s.dns(name, 'AAAA')
                 for ip in ips:
-                    ip = ipaddress.IPv6Address(str(ip, 'UTF-8'))
+                    try:
+                        ip = ipaddress.IPv6Address(str(ip, 'UTF-8'))
+                    except TypeError:
+                        ip = ipaddress.IPv6Address(ip)
                 if ip == source:
                     results.append(name)
         return results
@@ -439,8 +455,14 @@ def _readConfigFile(path, configData=None, configGlobal={}):
     fp.close()
     try:
         configData['AuthservID'] = _make_authserv_id(configData.get('AuthservID', 'HOSTNAME'))
+    except Exception as e:
+        syslog.syslog("Could not make AuthservID: {}".format(e))
+        pass
+
+    try:
         configData['IntHosts'] = HostsDataset(configData['InternalHosts'])
-    except:
+    except Exception as e:
+        syslog.syslog("Could not make HostDataset from InternalHosts: {}".format(e))
         pass
 
     return(configData)